Russia and the Caucasus Regions

Abstract

According to Russian leaders, the traditional sphere of influence of the Soviet Union, mainly Central Asia and the Caucasus, is the first defensive bulwark to protect Russia’s national security; Moscow’s behavior in the context of Tsarist Russia and the former Soviet Union should seek to dominate the region.
However, Russia has taken different approaches to Central Asia and the Caucasus over the past two decades. A closer look at the reason for such techniques reveals that these approaches were purely tactical and aimed at realizing Russia’s grand strategy in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Current trends indicate that the Russian governing body has always sought to portray Russia as an oil emperor in formulating its long-term strategy.
An actor who, by promoting his position, can play a geopolitical and critical role in the field of energy and exploit Russia’s energy resources and the monopoly of energy transmission pipelines as a political and economic tool to secure its geopolitical interests in the Eurasian region, particularly in relations with the European Union. This study will examine Russia’s obstacles in achieving its goals in the Central Asian region and the Caucasus after the Cold War.

Keywords: Russian politics, Central Asia and the Caucasus, Iran, Ukraine, Cold War, Geopolitics